


Not In Others

by triste



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drabble Collection, Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-06 23:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triste/pseuds/triste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’ll have to let me go eventually.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not in Others

Not In Others  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke  
Pairing: Akashi/Kuroko  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: AU, incest  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

“You two don’t resemble each other much," Daiki comments. "Not just in personality,” he adds, “but also in appearance.”

“That’s because we’re fraternal twins,” Tetsuya explains. “It’s more like comparing normal brothers.”

It’s still difficult for Daiki to believe that Tetsuya and Seijuurou are actually related, but every so often something will happen to make him think, oh, yeah, these guys really are siblings. 

Like how they both have the same evil temper, but that Tetsuya is better at keeping it hidden.

“What’s it like?” he asks. “Being a twin, I mean.”

Tetsuya ponders his answer for a moment. “Special in some ways, but not in others. It might be different if we were identical, I suppose.”

And that’s even harder for Daiki to imagine, for them to have carbon copy faces, not to mention creepy. One of Seijuurou is more than enough. Two would be downright terrifying. 

“You’re fine the way you are,” he tells Tetsuya, which makes him smile for some reason, so he reaches out to ruffle his hair affectionately.

~~

Daiki laughs when he finds out about the sleeping arrangements for the basketball club’s summer training camp. He can’t help himself. It's just too funny.

“Oh my god,” he wheezes. “I can’t believe you guys still share the same bed.”

Seijuurou's frown shuts him up. “Is that a problem?”

“No.” Daiki coughs. “Not at all.”

He doesn’t stop finding it odd, since they’re in middle school already and way too old for this kind of stuff, until the first night of their stay at the inn when he sees Tetsuya curl up against Seijuurou under the covers of their futon. They lay side-by-side, face-to-face, a perfect mirror image of each other, natural, instinctive. Daiki wonders if this is what they were like in the womb, if they’ve been like this their whole lives.

“Have you ever actually slept apart before?” Daiki asks the next morning, when he and Tetsuya are brushing their teeth in the bathroom.

“We’ve always been together.”

“Don’t you want to try sleeping in separate beds?”

Tetsuya rinses out his mouth and doesn’t answer.

~~

He may not have siblings of his own, but Daiki is pretty sure they’re not supposed to do things like this with each other. Kissing is fine, but only on the cheek. Maybe on the forehead, but not on the lips, and definitely not with tongue. Seijuurou doesn’t seem to care who sees them, or that they’re sucking face in public, but it leaves Daiki uncomfortable just watching them. He can’t even look away, because there’s a tiny part of him that can’t help being fascinated almost as much as it’s repulsed. They kiss like lovers, and there’s an easy familiarity with the way Tetsuya’s hands move over Seijuurou’s body that makes Daiki wonder if kissing isn’t the only thing they do together, because it’s right there in Seijuurou’s eyes when they break apart to breathe, smouldering and sensual.

It’s not how brothers should look at each other, but it’s what Daiki remembers later that night, in bed. It gets him hard, which makes him feel guilty and dirty and more than a little bit freaked out. It doesn’t prevent him from sliding a hand down his shorts, however, to touch himself, and it’s all too easy to imagine Seijuurou doing this to Tetsuya, or even, he thinks, for Tetsuya to use his mouth, and that’s the image he comes to, that leaves his fingers sticky with the proof of his shame.

~~

He has trouble meeting Tetsuya’s gaze afterwards. Tetsuya is perceptive. He knows there’s something wrong, but because he’s also sensitive to other people’s feelings - at least more so than Daiki - he won’t bring it up. He can tell Daiki doesn’t want to talk about it. Daiki is grateful, but their relationship has changed now. He can’t look at Tetsuya the same way anymore. He also can’t stop thinking about him. He wonders if they’ll ever have enough room in their hearts to let anyone else inside, if Seijuurou will allow it or if he'll just perceive them as a threat.

That’s why they don’t get many opportunities to be alone together, except for one time, when Daiki finds Tetsuya in the locker room first, and there’s tension between them when Daiki steps up to him, invading his personal space.

"What would you do if I said I liked you?”

Tetsuya doesn’t say anything, probably because Seijuurou has told him not to, but he pauses on his way past Daiki, reaches up to whisper in his ear. “You shouldn’t get too close to me.”

And then he leaves, but Daiki, as usual, is stubborn.

He’s never been the type to heed warnings.


	2. Unravel

Title: Unravel  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke  
Pairing: Akashi/Kuroko  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: Alternate universe, incest  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

Even from a young age, the differences between them soon become apparent. Seijuurou is the exceptional one, the sibling with confidence and charisma, while Tetsuya is painfully average, from the way his presents himself in front of others to the grades he gets at school.

The adults praise Seijuurou’s keen intelligence, his leadership skills.

“He’ll go far, for sure,” they say, and then, as if only just noticing Tetsuya’s presence, they smile and pat him on the head to offer small crumbs of condolence. “And Tetsuya-kun is a good boy who supports his brother.”

Tetsuya has never minded their favouritism, the way everyone obviously finds him lacking in comparison to Seijuurou, and he’s never resented him for it. It’s the truth, after all, and he’s content to stand in Seijuurou’s shadow, to make him shine brighter merely by being at his side.

“It doesn’t matter,” declares Seijuurou, “if nobody ever notices you. Actually, it’s better that way.”

And Tetsuya believes those words. Seijuurou knows what’s best for him. Seijuurou is always right. Eventually, however, he begins to realise that their relationship isn’t like that of normal brothers, that Seijuurou’s protectiveness borders on controlling, and that, even though he’s the older twin, it doesn’t give him the right to tell Tetsuya what he can and can’t do. But Tetsuya chooses to accept it, because it’s what he considers to be natural, regardless of what anyone else might say or think, and because it’s simply how things are between them.

~~

It’s interesting, Tetsuya thinks, the way human beings change their personalities depending on who they’re with. Although Seijuurou is respected, he’s often viewed as being aloof and unapproachable. Tetsuya has difficulty understanding it sometimes, because the Seijuurou he knows does not the one other people see. He's always been affectionate with him, both physically and emotionally, and they’ve always done everything as a pair. They eat together, bathe together and even sleep together, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary, at least to Tetsuya, for Seijuurou to embrace him, to hold his hand or stroke his hair.

But when Seijuurou kisses him for the first time, mouth soft and tasting of the vanilla ice cream they shared after dinner, Tetsuya isn’t sure how to react.

“Should we really be doing this?” he asks.

“Of course,” Seijuurou replies. “Doesn’t it feel good?”

Tetsuya nods, albeit with some reluctance, because he’s never heard of siblings doing this before, and when he sees it on TV or even in real life, it’s only ever done between a boy and a girl, and definitely not two people who are b


	3. Out of Reach

Title: Out of Reach  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke  
Pairing: Akashi/Kuroko  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: AU, incest  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

For the first time in his life, Seijuurou feels fear when he realises that Tetsuya might leave him, that he might be left alone. It takes a while for him to recognise the emotion for what it is, and longer still to actually acknowledge it. Tetsuya, who has been by his side since before they were even born, is being taken away, and Seijuurou doesn’t like it. All of a sudden, it’s like Tetsuya doesn’t need him anymore, that Seijuurou is no longer his special someone. The closer he becomes to Daiki, the further away from Seijuurou he gets. If things continue as they are, he’ll soon be out of his reach altogether.

He sees the way Tetsuya looks at Daiki, sees the admiration in his eyes, and it makes him jealous. Tetsuya has only ever looked at him like that before, has only ever held him in such high regard, but now it’s different. People comment on how well he and Daiki complement each other, how well they work together, almost as if they were made for each other. Seijuurou resents how a simple smile from Daiki can light up Tetsuya’s whole face, can bring him so much happiness. That’s always been Seijuurou’s role, and now he’s losing it to another person, a person who barely even knows Tetsuya, who has hardly spent any time with him at all.

In the end, there’s no need for him to do anything when Daiki’s true talent begins to awaken, when his enthusiasm for basketball is replaced by apathy and the resignation that he’ll never find an opponent on the same level as he is, who can challenge him head on and re-ignite his fading passion. He turns his back on the rest of the team - on Tetsuya - and it changes everything between the two of them. It leaves Tetsuya’s eyes, that were once so bright, lost and lonely. Seijuurou hates Daiki even more because of that, but he’s grateful to him as well, for driving Tetsuya back into his arms, the place where he belongs.

“I told you,” Seijuurou says, holding Tetsuya close, his embrace protective and comforting. “You should have known this would happen.” Friends and lovers come and go, but family will forever remain a constant. “It’s alright,” he continues, resting his forehead against Tetsuya’s, stroking his hair. “I’ll always be here. I would never abandon you.”

There’s desperation in the way Tetsuya kisses him, the way he clings to Seijuurou, the way he keeps saying “please, please” into his ear, and Seijuurou is all too willing to make him forget, to turn his pain into pleasure.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispers, running his hands over the body that’s as familiar as his own. “It’s not your fault.”

He’ll say the words as often as he needs to until Tetsuya believes them. He tells him his feelings for Daiki are a mistake, and that he’ll learn from it, grow from it, and become stronger for it as long as he doesn’t make the same one again, as long as he doesn’t let himself get hurt again.

There’s always been an unspoken agreement between them that this is the one thing they wouldn’t do, but that night, they cross a line when they make love for the first and last time.

Even now, Tetsuya is probably wishing he’s someone else instead, that it’s Daiki inside him and not Seijuurou, but it doesn’t matter, because Daiki will eventually be nothing more than a distant memory. He keeps his eyes shut through it all, keeps his face turned away from Seijuurou on the pillow, breath coming in ragged, broken-hearted sobs as they rock back and forth together, as Seijuurou lays claim to what he considers as rightfully his.

He cries afterwards, and Seijuurou kisses the tears away, licks the salty taste from Tetsuya’s skin, soothing him until he falls asleep. But when Seijuurou wakes up the next morning, Tetsuya’s side of the bed is empty.

He moves into the spare room later that afternoon, hands his resignation in for the basketball club the following day. He avoids not just Seijuurou but everyone else, withdrawing from the world completely, refusing to talk, refusing to smile. It’s like he’s not even there anymore, like he never existed in the first place. He devotes himself to studying, to the entrance exams they’ll be taking in just a few months, and when the letters of acceptance arrive through their front door they’re for different schools, in different parts of the country.

They don’t keep in touch. They don’t call, don’t write, don’t even see each other again until the Winter Cup, and by then, Tetsuya is like a different person, like the time they’ve spent apart has done him good.

And already there’s someone new by his side.  



	4. Interpretation

Title: Interpretation  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke  
Pairing: Akashi/Kuroko  
Rating: PG  
Warnings: AU, incest  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Status: Complete

~~

Like a lot of people, Ryouta finds it difficult to believe Tetsuya and Seijuurou are even related at first. The more time he spends together with them, the less he cares about it. They may be twins but they’re also two very different individuals, and Ryouta unashamedly favours one of them over the other. The only surprise, at least to anyone that knows them, is who he looks up to most. Even Tetsuya, when confronted with this information, seems to find it somewhat unexpected.

“As the younger brother,” he explains, “nobody ever expects anything from me.”

It strikes Ryouta as being deeply unfair. He tells Tetsuya this, wondering why it doesn’t upset him the way it does Ryouta.

But Tetsuya simply smiles, and that saddens Ryouta further, the way he just accepts it. “Because of that, I’m the one who has more freedom. It’s not the same for Seijuurou. He always has to live up to other people’s expectations, and all while feeling the constant pressure to be perfect. He’s been forced to carry the weight of that responsibility his whole life. That’s why I don’t mind standing in his shadow. It’s enough to make me happy.”

What he says makes sense, but Ryouta still isn’t happy about it. “Don’t you have your own goals?” he asks. “Your own dreams?”

Tetsuya shakes his head, like the idea hasn’t even occurred to him, and it breaks Ryouta’s heart a little.

The way he sees the two of them is different to other people. To Ryouta, it’s not the older brother leading the younger one. It’s the younger brother who’s being held back by the older one, who’s being denied the chance to develop his own interests and talents. It just doesn’t seem right for Tetsuya to be the only one who’s making all the sacrifices.

“You should think about yourself once in a while, instead of always putting someone else first,” Ryouta says. “It’s not a bad thing to be supportive, but it’s not good to suppress yourself, either.”

It’s frustrating how Tetsuya fails to take his advice on board, but Ryouta forgets his concern momentarily when Tetsuya smiles for him again.

“You’re very kind, Kise-kun.”

Ryouta swoons at the praise, and beams back at Tetsuya with the force of a thousand suns. “I wish I had a little brother like you. Or better yet,” he adds, coyly, “a wife.”

Unfortunately, Seijuurou chooses that moment to burst Ryouta’s bubble of blissfulness. His expression is stern as he fixes it disapprovingly on Ryouta but his arms are gentle as he slides them around Tetsuya’s neck.

“If you have energy to talk, then you have energy to train.” 

“Kise-kun said he wants to marry me,” Tetsuya reports, like it’s nothing out of the ordinary, as if he gets proposed to at least once a week.

“Well,” Ryouta laughs, only half serious as he fidgets in embarrassment, “we should probably take the time to get to know each other better first.”

“That won’t be happening,” Seijuurou states, tightening his hold, “because Tetsuya is mine.”

Sighing, Tetsuya reaches up to stroke the side of his brother’s face. “You’ll have to let me go eventually.”

“I will,” says Seijuurou, leaning into Tetsuya’s touch. “Just as soon as I’ve finished my break.”

He can’t see it from where he’s standing, but Ryouta does. He’s the one who correctly interprets the true meaning behind Tetsuya’s words, who notices what Seijuurou misses.

It’s not Seijuurou who shoulders the real burden, but Tetsuya. His words, his actions, the blood that runs between them do much more than bind Tetsuya to Seijuurou. They restrict him, imprison him, and prevent Tetsuya from reaching his full potential.

He’s not free at all, thinks Ryouta, and he never will be while Seijuurou continues to chain him down.


End file.
